


Moments: Cabin

by haganenoheichou



Series: Moments (Eruri Week 2014) [7]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Day Seven: Future, Eruri Week, Eruri Week 2014, Future Fic, M/M, eruri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 15:16:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3124949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haganenoheichou/pseuds/haganenoheichou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day Seven of Eruri Week 2014. Erwin goes looking for his beloved Corporal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moments: Cabin

It had taken Erwin weeks to come to terms with the fact that his Corporal had truly left him. It had taken him months to come to terms with the fact that the Survey Corps no longer existed. It had taken him years to stop seeing the faces of the people he had inadvertently killed in his dreams. It had taken him even more years to see that he did not belong in this town. That the life he’d built for himself had been a lie from the very beginning.

The realization came in a single stroke, a coup de grâce from Fate, when his wife died giving birth to their second child. The child they never got to have.  Erwin stood over his wife’s corpse, the very body that he’d seen, and touched, and lived with for years, and yet his heart had not felt that burn, that horrifying sting, that insane sorrow that everyone who’d ever lost a loved one had told him about. He had loved his wife, and as son wept in the corner of the room while the morticians packed her up and took her away like a piece of fine pork, he knew that he loved him too, but it was a love that seemed familiar, distant to the matters of the heart and closer to the matter of comfort.

The next morning, he told his son they would be going on a journey. He did not have half a mind to leave him with someone, even though Hanji adored the little devil. He felt compelled to show him what he had never seen as a child, born into the enclosure of the Walls.

Nobody saw them leave at the crack of dawn. Little Levi was nestled comfortably against Erwin’s chest as they rode, following nothing but the wind and what Erwin liked to think was his intuition. Humanity had slowly started creeping out further away from where the Walls had used to be, and yet most of the land around the settlement was still largely unexplored.

He didn’t know where he was going, or what he was planning to achieve when he reached his goal. For all he knew, the man he was looking for was dead, gone, killed by a wild animal or the horrifying cold that settled over the land each winter. He knew that the man was too proud to go seeking help, and that would be his ultimate downfall. He also knew, however, that his Corporal was a survivor. He decided to stick with that notion, as he could not bear to think of the alternative. A world without his Corporal in it seemed to have an inexcusable flaw.

He rode for days, then weeks, then months, stopping for food and shelter at night. His son grew rapidly under the stars, and by the time Erwin had been riding for three years, the ten-year-old had tamed his own horse – a wild stallion they had caught wondering alone on the outskirts of a leafy green forest far to the East of where the human settlement had been. As they rode, Erwin taught his son everything he knew about the outside world, and wrote down any new observations they made. He didn’t know whether he would survive long enough to deliver his notes back to the people of the Walls, yet he kept his notes neat. His son helped make several discoveries that rocked the very foundations of Erwin’s world. They encountered snowy mountains and rocky shores overlooking bodies of salty water that cascaded upon their beaches in waves. They saw animals that didn’t look like animals, but like evil spirits from children’s fairy-tales. They slept in caves and on tree branches, beneath rocks and the very stars above them. Erwin realized he was bonding with the boy – before, that had been his wife’s job, and he had barely known his son before she had died. Little Levi had a fiery personality, something he definitely had not inherited from his father, but, perhaps, his mother, whom Erwin had chosen for her stubborn attitude and sharp wit.

It was in autumn that year that his world swayed on its axis once again. The weather had been particularly awful, and Levi, strong as he was due to the fact that he had lived outdoors most of his young life, had caught a terrible cold. The cold soon turned into a loud, barking cough that rocked his entire body, eyes tearing up as he struggled to keep his breath even. Erwin had attempted a zillion remedies, everything he could think of, and yet, Levi was not getting any better, as the weather simply disallowed it – it was too cold for recovery from such an ailment. Reluctantly, Erwin realized it was time to turn back.

He knew he was out of shape when he realized he had no idea where the former Walls stood. They were lost.

They wandered aimlessly for days, Levi’s cough getting worse and worse, strength leaving the small body. It was when it seemed like the boy was heaving his last breath, Erwin spotted a tiny hut nestled within the woods. Practically crying with relief, he dragged the boy towards their shelter, finding that the door was unlocked. He half-carried Levi into the cabin.

There was no light inside – whoever owned the cabin was gone, had been for a while now, it seemed. Erwin found a candle and barely managed to light it with the damp matches he carried on his person.

The place was impeccably neat. It was clear, judging from the layer of dust that settled over the modest accommodations, that the owner had left it over a week ago, maybe more, but had intended to come back. Erwin hoped they were not a murderous maniac, and would not try to kill the two of them for using their accommodations. He found bandages and antiseptic solution, some herbal teas of the finest quality that looked like they had come from the capital, lozenges and syrups to ease Levi’s cough. Soon, the child was wrapped up in a warm woolen blanket on the small bed, his fever broken.

One night turned into one week, then one month, and soon Erwin and his son became familiarized with the house inside and out. Erwin had never thought of settling down before, but as he was scared of getting Levi sick again, he decided to stay a while longer.

Which was why he was surprised when the owner of the house came back, one dreary, rainy night.

Erwin grabbed the knife he had holstered to his thigh when he heard the shuffling at the door, the sound having woken him up from his uneasy slumber on the sofa. He had made sure to lock the door from the inside, and he heard whispered swearing as he approached the entrance. There was a moment of silence before the lock turned – the person had a key. They stepped inside, cursing under their breath, raindrops dripping from their wet clothing. They froze when they saw Erwin stand there with a knife, their hood concealing their face.

“What are you doing here?” The figure whispered harshly, the timbre of the voice undetectable.

“I apologize, this must be your cabin… My son was sick, you see, and we grabbed the opportunity when we saw one. We mean no harm, just… We’ll leave when the rain lets up,” Erwin said hurriedly.

“There is no need,” the figure said shortly. “Your son?”

“He is recovered now. Thanks to your extensive medical supplies.”

“Glad I could be of help. How were you stranded here?”

“We left the settlement to look for someone.”

“Oh. Your wife must be worried sick.”

“She passed away years ago.”

“Oh.”

“Pardon my… forwardness, but where were you?”

“Hunting for supplies. Imagine my surprise when I found I had new tenants.” The figure continued whispering, preventing Erwin from identifying their voice.

“May I at least see your face?” Erwin said, reaching for the figure’s hood. They swayed away from his touch as if burned.

“I don’t think that is a good idea.”

“Where do you hail from?”

“I can’t say.”

“Just… Tell me something, were you in the military? You are very thorough with your basic supplies, it’s almost–,”

“Please stop.”

“Well… Do you at least have a name?”

“I…”

The figure turned away from Erwin.

“Did my question offend you somehow?”

Shaking hands reached up to remove the cloak, fumbling with the clasps. Erwin stood still, knife still clutched in his hand.

“I cannot tell you my name because I don’t have one,” said a voice so familiar, from so long ago, yet its memory was clear in Erwin’s mind as if they’d said goodbye just mere hours ago. He was rooted to the spot, unable to speak, unable to think…

The man turned, and suddenly all of the air went out of Erwin’s lungs as if he’d been punched in the stomach.

“You do,” Erwin whispered, stretching out his arm to reach for the man. The latter heeded his silent call, and Erwin found himself with an armful of living, breathing, albeit slightly cold, former Corporal Levi. “You just share it–,”

“With me.”

The embrace broke as the two turned to look at the boy standing in the doorway, his eyes bleary with sleep. Sharp blue eyes surveyed the couple, and for a moment Erwin felt like apologizing, but he wasn’t sure to whom. The moment broke when the man he’d been searching for over the years left his arms and approached his son, who was almost as tall as him. He stuck out his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you, Erwin’s brat. I’m the original Levi.”

“Charmed. I’m the better looking one.”

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn't help but give them a happy ending. I love them too much. 
> 
> Drop me a line here or at http://hellofaheichou.tumblr.com


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